Police and civil aviation investigators were today examining a microlight that crashed in a farm paddock near Ngaruawahia early last night.
A 35-year-old Hamilton man is in Waikato Hospital with moderate back injuries after the microlight crashed into the paddock just off Whitikahu Rd near Gordonton at 6pm.
The pilot, also from Hamilton, was uninjured. The plane had taken off from an airstrip at Te Kowhai, near Ngaruawahia.
Police say initial investigations into the crash suggest the pilot tried to land the microlight because of mechanical problems.
The microlight was owned by the pilot. The injured passenger was airlifted to Waikato Hospital by rescue helicopter last night.